Are Pecans Good For Your Skin?
Have you ever heard the expression, your skin is glowing? It’s usually associated with people who have clear, healthy-looking skin. You might hear someone tell a pregnant woman this or attribute glowing skin to youth. The health of your skin has to do with what you eat, your living environment, and your family history. This popular saying is characteristic of healthy epidermal tissue.
The next time someone compliments your glowing skin, just remember you must be doing something right. Topical skincare and protecting skin from harsh exposure are two of the easiest ways to take good care of your largest organ. It’s also the only organ that is constantly exposed to the elements. One thing that people tend to neglect when it comes to skincare is consuming enough nutrients. Plant-based options, for instance, can provide a score of vitamins and minerals essential to skin health.
What benefits do pecans have for your skin? Pecans contain over nineteen vitamins and minerals, many of which support healthy skin cells. The following highlights five nutrients pecans provide to naturally improve your complexion.
Pecan Fiber - Beyond Gut Health
Pecans are a great source of fiber, offering ten percent of the daily value needed for excellent digestion. Fiber is more commonly associated with supporting regular digestion that it’s often overlooked for the skin benefits it carries. Fibrous content improves the digestive tract’s ability to remove waste from the body. This waste includes toxins, bacteria, viruses, and other free radicals that would otherwise wreak havoc on our cells if left to proliferate. Consuming enough insoluble fiber, like pecans, helps the body process and remove these toxic waste products. Free radicals are known to cause skin damage, such as wrinkles, spots, and blemishes. Fiber helps remove such toxins which lower the chance of dermal damage.
Pecan Nuts Benefit from Ellagic Acid
A micronutrient that assists the body in fighting off free radicals is ellagic acid. Found in pecan nuts and walnuts, ellagic acid is a polyphenol, also known as a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants help prevent and protect the cells from oxidative stress. The skin is the only organ constantly exposed to oxidative stressors, making it just as important to protect as your internal organs.
According to a 2010 study, Ellagic acid has been found to contain anti-inflammatory benefits and promote collagen health. Collagen is one of the main proteins found in all of the body’s connective tissues. Pecans provide natural proteins and are a rich source of ellagic acid, a nutrient that can treat inflammation while safeguarding the body’s standard collagen stores.
Potent Healing Mix - Zinc, Vitamin A & E
Skin cells are more sensitive than we give them credit for. Our skin can seem reliably versatile, but only when we are taking the necessary precautions to keep it tough. Now, this doesn’t mean we need to constantly lather ourselves with lotion or cover-up head-to-toe. After all, the sun provides a natural source of vitamin D, an essential nutrient for bone health. Instead, try to incorporate more foods that encourage a healthy complexion.
Collagen is vital to the skin’s structure and makes up over twenty-five percent of the proteins in the body. More specifically, collagen production accounts for the makeup of our ligaments, organs, bones, and skin. Pecans offer a natural source of vitamin A, a nutrient that helps restore damaged collagen. Vitamin A works within the body to help heal cell damage while encouraging healthy cell reproduction. Skin cells naturally acquire cumulative damage from aging and from over-exposure to harmful UV rays. The results are usually increased wrinkles, age spots, or unbalanced skin tones. Pecans provide a natural way to consume vitamin E, a nutrient that also supports a balanced complexion. Vitamin’s E and A work to repair and strengthen skin cells, making them more resistant to UV damage.
Extensive research as shown that zinc plays one of the most important roles in healing wounds, particularly dermal damage. Pecans are rich in zinc, a mineral that contributes to immune-cell development and functionality. A lack of zinc in one’s system would result in bruises or cuts taking longer to heal. It would also impact the skin’s ability to bounce back from damage caused by UV-exposure or aging.
Complete skincare means more than just topical solutions. Consuming enough fiber and antioxidant-rich foods is a must. Pecans contain these five nutrients and so many more benefits, all of which support firmer skin and healthy glow.
